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Leave Your “Mark” On Your Code

By Kristal Sequeira
29-Jan-2013

We don’t have to tell you, Mr. or Ms. Developer, how crucial it is to protect your intellectual property and professional reputation. What we can tell you is how you can protect both through Comodo’s Code-Signing Certificate. Authenticating a code signer with a third party authenticator and tamper-proof packaging confirms the validity of the source and keeps the integrity of the content by confirming alterations or corruptions have not occurred once the code or software has been signed. Confidently leave your “mark” on the code you worked so hard to develop and protect your reputation by garnering trust from your customers by simply applying a code signing solution.

Special Offer for Tucows Subscribers
There is an option to purchase a 1-year, 2-year or 3-year code signing certificate. On top of the already competitive pricing, we are offering Tucows subscribers an additional savings for each option as follows:

10% off a 1-year certificate (use Promo code: COMTUC10)

15% off a 2-year certificate (use Promo code: COMTUC15)

20% off a 3-year certificate - the best value! (use Promo code: COMTUC20)

What exactly is Code Signing?
Code signing is widely used to protect software that is distributed over the Internet. Code signing does not alter it; it simply appends a digital signature to the executable code itself. When customers buy software in a store, the source of that software is obvious. Customers can tell who published the software, and they can see whether the package has been opened or not. These factors enable customers to make decisions about what software to purchase and how much to "trust" those products. Customers who download digitally signed Active X controls, dynamic link libraries, .cab files or HTML content from your site can be confident that code really comes from you and hasn't been altered or corrupted since it was created and signed. Digital IDs serve as virtual "shrink-wrap" for your software: after you sign your code, if it is tampered with in any way, the digital signature will break and alert customers that the code has been altered and is not trustworthy. The solution to these issues is Microsoft's Authenticode technology coupled with Digital IDs from Comodo. Code Signing, through the use of digital signatures, enables software developers to include information about themselves and their code with their software.

What are the benefits?
Users benefit from this software accountability because they know who published the software and that the code hasn't been tampered with. In the extreme case that software performs unacceptable or malicious activity on their computers; users can also pursue recourse against the publisher. This accountability and potential recourse serve as a strong deterrent to the distribution of harmful code. Developers and Web masters benefit from these Certificates because it builds trust in their names and makes it more difficult to falsify their products. By signing their code, developers build a trusted relationship with users, who learn they can download software signed by that publisher or Web site with confidence. With Code Signing Certificates, developers can create exciting Web pages using signed Active X controls, or other signed executables. And users can make educated decisions about what software they want to download, knowing who published the software and that it hasn't been tampered with.

About Kristal Sequeira

Kristal Sequeira is Account Manager with the media sales team for Tucows.com and butterscotch.com. She's the one that dreams up all the new and innovative means for Tucows and butterscotch developer partners to reach their target markets in powerful and cost effective ways.